Lowe Alpine's New 2010 Packs

*******-++---Latest in our series of 2010 previews from this year's OutDoor trade show in Friedrichshafen is Lowe Alpine who have new lightweight and all-round big packs set to launch in the spring.

New Hyperlite Packs

It's not the first time Lowe Alpine has used the 'Hyperlite' label, but the original versions were more Quitelite than ridiculously so and were soon overtaken by the lightweight specialist brands.


For 2010, the company's having another crack at the market area with two new packs, the Zepton, an 1100-gramme, stripped-back 50-litre carrier and the Nanon, a more lavishly specced version weighing in at 1250 grammes.


The two packs both use strong and durable but very light Dyneema-reinforced fabric, miniature buckles and unique 10mm webbing straps. The Zepton has top-entry and a fixed back, while the Nanon gets side entry, lid pocket and lots of accessory and stuff pockets plus an adjustable back system.


Lowe Alpine are keen to stress that despite the low weight, the packs use classic Lowe Alpine construction with structural seams double-stitched, bound, then stitched again plus a comfortable back system and top-notch, very strong fabrics so you get an optimum compromise between lightness on the one hand and comfort and durability on the other.

Oh, and they come in a variety of rather neat colour schemes as well.

New Range of TFX Packs - £110-£200

Also new is a completely updated range of TFX packs ranging from entry-level backpacking sacs right up to full-on technical expedition load haulers. We had a quick guided tour of the £180 Expedition.


Like the Hyperlites, it uses Dyneema fabric and is approximately 20-30 per-cent lighter. It has Lowe's Torso Motion hip-belt set up to allow decent mobility and the two-part Adaptive Fit hip-belt which moulds the belt to fit the hip-shape of the wearer.


Apparently men's hips are mostly the same shape, but women vary a lot, so the adaptive fit works brilliantly for them meaning an optimum hip-fit regardless of individual contours.


There's also an adaptive shoulder harness which adjusts to suit different width shoulders. The adjustable back system has been tweaked to make it more obvious and finally, the lumbar pads on the women's packs - above - have been reshaped with more of a slant on them so they no longer sit too high on the curvy bits, erm, if that makes sense...


We've always been impressed with the overall build quality and toughness of Lowe Alpine's packs and this new range looks set to continue in that vein. We'd put them right up in our top three pack brands.

Details of the current Lowe Alpine range at www.lowealpine.com